Stocks Aimless, Trade Mixed; Biogen Spikes To New High

Stocks stumbled into a narrowly mixed open Friday, with a September jobs report adding some mild downward pressure.

The Nasdaq rose 0.2%. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 0.1% and the S&P 500 dipped a fraction. Volume was mixed on the stock market today, up 3% on the NYSE and 3% lower on the Nasdaq compared with the same time Thursday.

The Labor Department reported 3.9 million unfilled job openings at the end of September. That was just above August's 3.88 million openings and above economist forecasts for a slight decrease to 2.83 million. The JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey) said the hires rate and separation rate were little changed for the month.

In stocks,Intel (INTC) slid 3%, dragging on the Dow, after downshifting its 2014 revenue guidance. The chipmaker said it saw the PC market as stabilizing, but that the company was expanding into mobile and other markets, and opening its foundry for contract manufacturing services.

The stock broke out earlier this week but is 2% below the 24.83 buy point.

Shoe retailer Foot Locker (FL) climbed 5% in strong trade after the New York-based company's third-quarter sales and earnings topped views. The gap-up sent shares just past a 37.95 buy point in a three-month cup base.

Friday's open was mildly positive for leaders, with just over half of the IBD 50 members advancing.

Biogen (BIIB) spiked 13% at the open. The Massachusetts-based drugmaker's multiple sclerosis pill Tecfidera was designated a "new active substance" by a key European regulatory body, extending its patent protection and moving it closer to approval in Europe. The stock is rebounding from a test of the 10-week moving average and is 20% above a 243.84 buy point from a September breakout.

Proto Labs (PRLB) lagged 3% in starting trade. The maker of prototype models and components is battling its largest weekly loss in 17 months.

Stocks stumbled into a narrowly mixed open Friday, with a September jobs report adding some mild downward pressure.

The Nasdaq rose 0.2%. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 0.1% and the S&P 500 dipped a fraction. Volume was mixed on the stock market today, up 3% on the NYSE and 3% lower on the Nasdaq compared with the same time Thursday.

The Labor Department reported 3.9 million unfilled job openings at the end of September. That was just above August's 3.88 million openings and above economist forecasts for a slight decrease to 2.83 million. The JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey) said the hires rate and separation rate were little changed for the month.

In stocks,Intel (INTC) slid 3%, dragging on the Dow, after downshifting its 2014 revenue guidance. The chipmaker said it saw the PC market as stabilizing, but that the company was expanding into mobile and other markets, and opening its foundry for contract manufacturing services.

The stock broke out earlier this week but is 2% below the 24.83 buy point.

Shoe retailer Foot Locker (FL) climbed 5% in strong trade after the New York-based company's third-quarter sales and earnings topped views. The gap-up sent shares just past a 37.95 buy point in a three-month cup base.

Friday's open was mildly positive for leaders, with just over half of the IBD 50 members advancing.

Biogen (BIIB) spiked 13% at the open. The Massachusetts-based drugmaker's multiple sclerosis pill Tecfidera was designated a "new active substance" by a key European regulatory body, extending its patent protection and moving it closer to approval in Europe. The stock is rebounding from a test of the 10-week moving average and is 20% above a 243.84 buy point from a September breakout.

Proto Labs (PRLB) lagged 3% in starting trade. The maker of prototype models and components is battling its largest weekly loss in 17 months.

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